The NBC TODAY Parenting team did extensive research to tell the stories of what families are going through during the COVID-19 pandemic. They examined what children are feeling and how stay-at-education and social distancing might impact their development. And finally, they asked experts like Jennifer Miller of Confident Parents, Confident Kids what we can do to support them through this tough time of uncertainty, fear and stress. Hope you’ll check out the following articles filled with insights from numerous families and numerous experts including Nadine Burke Harris, author of “The Deepest Well; Healing the Long-term Affects of Childhood Adversity,” pediatrician, educator on childhood trauma and Surgeon General of California. Here’s the three-part series:

The Parent Struggle by Lisa Tolin

“I feel like I fail all day, every day.” For parents in the coronavirus crisis, juggling work and parenting has never been tougher.

Some days, Ruth Milston-Clements feels like she’s doing well in quarantine. She and her two daughters are baking, going on bike rides, gardening and reading together. They’re slowing down, connecting and enjoying more family time.

Other days, she feels like she can’t do everything — or even anything — well… Read the full article.

9 Ways to Help Kids through the Crisis by Lisa Tolin

There’s no question the coronavirus shutdown has been disruptive for children. How they weather the disruption may depend on the response they see from their parents, says California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris.

“They really get their cues about what this means from their caregivers,” says Dr. Burke Harris, a pediatrician and expert on child stress. “And so there’s an incredible opportunity… Read the full article.

Coronavirus through Kids’ Eyes
Understanding — and Explaining — the Unseen Monster in the Room by Lisa Tolin

Before coronavirus, 5-year-old Willa Carmenini wasn’t worried about monsters under her bed. Now she’s asking about them every night at bedtime, and she doesn’t like going outside her New York apartment.

“She says it’s the mask,” says her mother, Andrea Saraffian, though Saraffian suspects it’s more than that. It’s the rules about touching elevator buttons or avoiding friendly neighbors in the lobby. It’s the stress that her parents try so hard to hide. Read the full article.